Open AccessDisordered photonic structures for light harvesting in solar cells
Author(s) -
F Pratesi,
Matteo Burresi,
Francesco Riboli,
Kevin Vynck,
Diederik S. Wiersma
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.21.00a460
Subject(s) - photonic crystal , materials science , photonics , amorphous silicon , optoelectronics , photovoltaic system , absorption (acoustics) , optics , amorphous solid , plasmonic solar cell , thin film , photon , solar cell efficiency , silicon , solar cell , monocrystalline silicon , crystalline silicon , nanotechnology , physics , chemistry , crystallography , ecology , biology
The effect of periodic and disordered photonic structures on the absorption efficiency of amorphous and crystalline Silicon thin-film solar cells is investigated numerically. We show that disordered patterns possessing a short-range correlation in the position of the holes yield comparable, or even superior, absorption enhancements than periodic (photonic crystal) patterns. This work provides clear evidence that non-deterministic photonic structures represent a viable alternative strategy for photon management in thin-film solar cells, thereby opening the route towards more efficient and potentially cheaper photovoltaic technologies.